清晨5：30起床，然后去赶新干线，不到3小时，到京都。说实话，到今天我们有些体力透支，特别是我，每天只睡5个多小时。我属于对睡觉环境极其苛刻的人，换了个环境，有些不适应，而且越疲乏越睡不着觉。所以我总是尽量在火车或汽车上睡觉，充分利用一切时间恢复体力，幸好我使劲吃好吃的，否则估计我早晕了。你想，我一个走10公里不皱眉的人，目前觉得累了，开始想家里的床了。可是，我一在商店里购物，就象打了鸡血，立即兴奋，估计所有女人都这样，呵呵。

 

京都和东京不太一样，JR(Japanese Railway)火车票可以去的地方很少。（如果去日本，最好买JR pass，特别是在东京比较方便，还可以坐新干线）。京都，要去的旅游景点，需要做汽车，所以我们买了Bus daily travel ticket，相当于悉尼的一日游车票。京都，出名的是寺庙，今天我们去了清水寺和银阁寺。但今天京都下了一天雨，所以景致大受影响，而且遗憾的是枫叶还没红，没来日本前一休就说应该11月或5月来，真让他说对了。日本的寺庙有它的特点，不大但很有日本特色，虽没有灵隐寺大气，但也令人耳目一新。

 

京都没有东京大，用我的话，它就象个而二级市，没那么繁华，没那么拥挤，但也有它的气质。

 

对了，说到日本的物价，今天说两句，我觉得和悉尼差不多，火车票和悉尼差不多，吃饭一般一份10多块澳币，一盒寿司也10多块，衣服和Myer价格差不多，大牌子价格也差不多。比如东京，原宿和涉谷象北京西单购物中心顶层和三里屯，银座象北京新光天地，新宿象SOGO、百盛中心，池袋有点象原来的东大桥市场。我说的不是地方大小和价格，而是风格和定位。另外，日本的动画产品可不便宜，而且没有想象的丰富。一个小kitty毛玩具超级贵。那天去给我外甥女买朽木白哉的东东，那是她偶像，好像是从动画片《海贼王》来的，靠！我在秋叶原日本著名的动漫商场居然没找到什么关于这个动画片的小东东，据说早过时了。

 

几天来，看到了日本的一些方方面面，我有些哈日，但就是语言太成问题。anyway,如果你来日本玩，也不用太担心他们听不懂英语，只要找好地图指给他们看就好，她们很热情，会帮忙；买东西，我也不问了，要买就直接付钱，反正又没砍价这一说，哈哈！

东京第二天，清早去了筑地鱼市，有些象悉尼的FISH MARKET，吃了味道不错的海鲜饭和买了一些小吃。对了，那家饭馆感觉很地道。然后去了涉谷，这个地方被众多年轻人喜爱，因为它的COOL AND FASHION，但本人有些跟不上潮流，身材和年龄已经不允许那么前卫。下午去了台场、富士塔和青海。这是东京比较新开发的地区，有公司、商业广场和著名的电视台，是欣赏夜景的好地方，但今天有小雨，所以雾蒙蒙，不是很透亮。但还是没错过观夜景，吃蛋包饭。

 

简单讲讲对东京的印象：

1、很现代。地铁四通八达，而且无论去哪每三分钟一趟，不象在悉尼要等至少10分钟。此外，IC卡消费在东京很普遍，刚到东京时，从机场去市区的火车上，看到日本帅哥用手机付款买水，很是稀奇，于是和那帅哥攀谈，才明白人家日本IC卡很普遍，手机里充钱，可以随时购买东东。

 

2、很干净。马路上、火车上很难看到垃圾，比悉尼强很多。我猜日本的干净是大家普遍自觉维护出来的，不是人为打扫出来的。

 

3、很会“搞”：不知用什么词来形容。东京没有北京大，但人口比北京多，他们花了很大功夫在有限的空间让大家舒服。举个例子，我住的宾馆，房间不大，可是五脏俱全，什么都有，保险箱、电冰箱、上网设施，等等，该有的都有。挂衣服的没有专门设计一个柜子，而是在墙上按了挂衣的杠杠，衣服可以贴墙挂着，省了空间。熨衣板插在桌子和墙之间的缝隙中。卫生间没有那么大的地方摆放洗发水、吸收液等瓶瓶罐罐，于是全在墙上安装了这些装置。吹风机挂墙上，手电筒挂桌子下方。更有意思的是，加油站，所有的加油箱全悬在头顶，节省了空间。所以我说日本人很会搞。

 

4、日本人很苗条，身高中等。男人、女人、年轻的、年老的，基本没胖子。不知是吃海鲜的缘故，还是太辛苦了。日本人并不是很矮，但和西方人比起来，略矮一些。我在悉尼属于海拔最低的，在这里让我找到了自信，因为有很多人比我矮或者和我差不多高，这个比例比悉尼多的多得多。

 

5、日本女人很特别。女人关心其他女人穿什么，如何打扮；男人关心女人漂不漂亮，舒不舒服。这两天很多时间在火车和大街上，所以领略了生活中的日本女人。她们不论胖瘦、什么打扮，全是黑袜子。对了，她们光脚的很少，估计人家注重形象，不象悉尼女孩，大多数不穿袜子。日本女孩很会化妆，很可爱，很精致，我虽不化妆不追潮流，但对那些流行元素并不存在盲点。日本女孩很会保养自己的。至于穿衣，大多数职业女性的着装很对我口味，和我的风格很接近，颜色中等偏素，样子简单大方，感觉几年不过时。本人逛街时间极其有限，但基本抓住他们职业女性和30多岁女性的风格。至于青少年的风格，我也有些体会，但因为自己年龄有限，体会不够深。

 

对了，女人偏爱的药妆点，我现在还没时间去呢，等最后一天从京都回来再说吧。

26日下午4点从悉尼家里出发，终于27日下午4点多（东京时间）到东京。1天时间，不是在飞机上就是在机场渡过。经过北京，只是转换飞机，所以经家门而没过。到东京已经1天多了，去了很多地方，池袋、银座、原宿、新宿、北参道，市政厅、浅草寺、明治皇宫，时间紧、任务重。吃了地道的拉面、、小丸子、日本蛋糕，明天还有其他地方要去，好吃的要吃。

 

日本人民很友好，很热情，但日本人民英语很烂，无论大小商店，英语是大大的不会。一休同志抱怨很多，他本想不陪我逛街，但没办法，商店人员是通通的不会英语，于是懂些日语的他总要在旁边翻译。目前，他就一句话，“哪有日本女人的老公陪逛街的？”靠！你以为我愿意你陪啊？

 

不是一切很顺利，一共两个大行李，结果一个没有及时到东京，等了一天。少了一个行李，麻烦多多，里面是生活用品和现在用的笔记本电脑。终于行李到了，一休把钥匙丢了，于是我们要满处找砸锁的地方。你以为容易啊？如果你在悉尼，知道哪能找到人员帮你破坏锁吗？终于在MISTER MINIT找到一师傅愿意帮忙，费了九牛二虎之力，搞定！可他居然死活不收钱。日本人民怎么那么好呢？

 

明天有空再写吧。

 

终于在LIU JIE美眉的陪伴下，去了盼望已久的香港茶餐厅，味道真的不错，肚子真的很饱，心里真的很美，于是在CHATSWOOD火车站迷失了方向，不知哪站台通往回家的路，呵呵！终于到了正确的站台，就听见一韩国美眉嚎啕大哭，旁边站了一男伴和女伴，哭声那叫大，哭声那叫惨，偶从没听过那么豪放的哭声。真佩服韩国美眉的勇敢和泼辣，“我是韩女，我怕谁！”震撼！

I am in the lowest mood hearing the news and can’t stop shedding the tears. She has fallen apart and as she told she still feels she is in a nightmare and couldn’t be clear out it is real or not. What’s happening? My classmate who we lived in a same dormitory for 4 years at uni in China, went through the worst day of her life, she lost her dearest husband and mum by a horrible car accident. She wasn’t taken away by GOD just having skull fracture and cheek bone damaged and ear injured as she sat at the back seat, while her 5-year daughter who was next her mum only got slight wound. I didn’t ask more details about how the car accident happened so as not to grieve her. There is nothing worse than seeing your family leave you forever. She said, sudden dead people could be luckier than alive family because they don’t need to have any worry in the world, but leaving endless bitterness to the other family members. True! In 2000, she already lost her dad, now she has to bear that pain again but worse. It must be hardly conceivable pain and losing. As she said, it is extremely terrible to see the empty home where she used to feel that crowded dwelling with her mum, husband and kid. She feels hollow and loses her spirit support just like somebody stole her most treasured stuff. More sadly, her daughter doesn’t completely understand what happened but is confused where the dad and grandmother are, asked her mum why her mum hasn’t smiled up for a while. As a mum, it is like sword stabbing her heart as hearing it, facing this mentally hardest question.

 

I send my condolence to my girlfriend, more importantly, I hope her can be strong enough to live on. She is only 36 year old and she will have a long way to go, she will need to bring up her kid to turn her to be a tough and mature girl although life can’t give her an entire family love. Maybe her kid is her last but most hope to make her go forward in the rest of the life, but it is better than nothing on. After all, children are always our human beings’ hopes and futures, which would be most urge to overcome family’s torture, for kids!

 

As well, I told my friend, not stay at home too long. The quicker way she can get out of this situation is to go to work as soon as possible, distracting from the sorrowful woe. It is timing everything and every pain could be relieved with the race of time. You reckon? So we need to speed up our time to make the hurt fade in our lives at the soonest.

 

You know what, now I more and more believe FATE. For the God’s sake, all of things that you have been through and you will have are arranged. Whatever is good or bad, right or wrong, healthy or unhealthy, wealthy or poor, God knows, you can’t change personally. You would think it is fatalism, but with time goes on, more experience I have got, I have been taught it is life. Since that, don’t complain the life but try to accept all in front. I don’t mean to be pessimistic. I mean not to be upset so much and to focus why we have to suffer it if we have so-called bad thing, just have a faith it is destiny so it is better to take it than get buried in desperation. How you see a thing determines how it goes on you. Positively thinking, positively flowing on your way.

 

Life is unpredictable and changeable. You wouldn’t know what is going to happen in the next minute. You never know. Cherish all that you own.

I am in the training of someone who will take over part of my current jobs when I am on a month holiday. It is the second time that I get a chance to train someone in Australia, first time happened in the first position but left with unhappy experience that I finally had to advise my manager to kick off that new colleague who was not incapable to take that job in the probation. I was not that mean and harsh but just for being responsible for the company.:-) I was a bit sorry for what I did to her but she was really hopeless after I tried my best to help her out as her ability was absolutely under position’s requirement, for instance, she was not confident to use Microsoft software WORD which is supposed to be basic computer skills as an office worker. I swear I did do my best to teach her how to use WORD with some knacks and tips to hope she could grasp them with the shortest time so that she can eligibly take the job. But we had to give up after a month without success.  The disgusting thing was that she did shit stuff just to piss me, she complained me for my impatience. Hey, can you stand a person who sits besides you keeping asking some questions about how to use WORD? Told her once, was asked again, told her again, was asked again…..You would be curious why our manager let her have a try. The reason being was that she was a job seeker as a customer of our company, a job network, and our duty was to help our customer jobseekers to find the jobs they can possibly do. We expected to hire her was to get rid of one number of our customers list to make our burden off a little. Another reason was to give her a chance. Unfortunately she disappointed us out of our expectation, unfortunately we couldn’t give her a go.

 

At the stage I am aiming for training a person who would take the job of shipping temporally maybe extended to permanently as my current duties that are split two sections including shipping and digital display planning, those responsibilities would be  solidly passed on to other people because I would be advised to do notebook planning. Therefore, shipping is given to a new team member while digital display will be assigned to an old team worker. By the experience of training new team member this time, there are some positive things that I have seen. First and foremost, the man who is taking over shipping is old staff although we didn't work in the same team.  He is familiar with company rule and internal system, so he could be easier to get used to new job than a new staff who has no idea about company process. Secondly, he used to do domestic procumbent, so has basic commonsense and knowledge about buying and shipping.  Fact has proved that he is smart enough to learn new duties as quickly as possible. Last but not least, he is a MAN. Without any sex discrimination, I reckon male is much easier to communicate with to some degree than with a female who could turn to be more fussy or oversensitive than a male when she has something new or stressful. This stupid point of view would be wrong but I have met a few cases to prove it. You know, somehow we can't brush off some women's particular cranky characters at particular time. Anyway the training has gong along for a few days, so far, so good. You would think I am a strange girl with so many ghastly weird thinkings on picking up co-worker or substitute. I don't hope you are in my league, but you would perhaps understand what I am saying if you have been working over 10 years or have had similar stories.

 

Well, I wanna say, one side, training is not a relaxing work to do sometimes you would rather do by yourself than spend time in telling and instructing someone else how to do. For me, a past trainer in China, basically I have no problem to sense how to keep patient to train a person and how to use effective way to make other people understand easily and quickly. Particularly I am trying not to be a damper who would like to point out negative things on some people straight away once trainee was noticed something unlike trainer’s expectation, or directly say some hurtful words that might beat down trainee’s confidence even though trainer’s real intention is goodwill. On the other side of training period, I get more spare time focusing on something more important. The thing I wanna tell is that I have more time on my own recently when I can give some jobs to new one to practise. In other words, I am able to have more minutes on coffee time. Can I think it is available chilling break after a period of training? While chilling on the company clock might seem like a working person's right, those mental breaks cost me. J

 

I am happy to see that new team member seems to enjoy his job although he always struggles with those unfamiliar, complicated and tangled issues and things even sometimes got stuck in rut and turned to be frustrated then. Luckily he is surviving and doesn’t loose his interest in this new cruising. Plus I find he is a systematic and logical person and quick learner, I love to train this sort of person. I feel content to see he is doing better and better under my instruction, more importantly, he is with high level comprehension. He will be alright as I don’t think he will have big shoes to fill. Hope our training journey can go well.

 

 

It really happened on me a few days ago that I got stuck for a sec when I tried to sign up with my Chinese name at the bottom of the China's visa application form. Obviously it could be impossible that I forgot how to write my Chinese name but I hadn’t got it down longer than 2 years and seldom had a chance to stick it down because I have been using the signature with Pin Yin of my name or my English name in Australia. I have realised my handwriting is going worse and worse and sometimes feel no idea how to write some words especially Chinese words as I tried to write down on Post-it notes. And aside from the Chinese handwriting, English handwriting has never got apparent improvement but gone opposite way as my second language despite it has been more written than Chinese since I came to Australia. What I am more concerned is about my Chinese handwriting in fact it has rooted in my mind and it will never fade away logically when it has been with me for over 30 years. But the embarrassing time unavoidably came up.

I can't remember how to write many simple Chinese words in cursive or other fancy styles actually I used to be deemed a not-bad Chinese handwriter winning a great deal of praise since from I studied in the primary school. With the time gone, this compliment goes out of its real meaning. Many Chinese words I have known are written shaky and stiff, they look squished like a gout of tangle. Honestly, sometimes I don't know how to write some words correctly only managing to make the word more look like what it should be, try to make it be similar in shape as far as I can understand it or make other people guess what I attempt to write. How can it happen? Is it the lack of much of practice? Absolutely YES. Since the computer came into our world and email has accounted for more and more our communication. Do you know how often you write? Basically in my notebook, there are at most 100 words could be written per day. What's worse, those words have been gradually replaced English words as my daily life is more related to those English words. Technology is only part of the reason? I think so. We are living in the age of social networks and frenzied conversation, composing more emails. So it is easier to type words in prim font by computer instead of writing by hand. e.g, I didn't see my niece who is 14 years old be forced to practise handwriting by her parents when she was a below 10 years old, not like what I had to do when I was a young kid, I was required to write a few pages of "Hong Mo Zi" per week so the handwriting wouldn't turn to childish or scrawled but look adult and decent. In current Chinese kids' lives, handwriting is hard to be part of the everyday agenda on the contrary their time could be occupied by other activities such as taking lessons after school, playing piano, or doing other extracurricular course. Although many Chinese try to keep old culture and insist that penmanship is kind of traditional art but they can't tend to spend more time in practising it somehow. What a shame that I can’t be able to handwrite beautiful Chinese words on the card or present a report with neat handwriting as before, but now the card or report can be completed by computer even with much better typesetting and neater words. Does it make work more efficiently and effectively? On the other side, do we lose something as the way of communication has been changed?

I am not bothered by the fact that I will never have beautiful handwriting, even though it is a bit regretful....You would say I can revert old handwriting level if I keep practising but that era has gone. It is not good thing that we are witnessing the death of handwriting.

 

 

Last week, we, four girls, spontaneously talked to organise a farewell lunch for Trisha who has been working in our company for 3 months as an apprentice, so we decided to go to Thai restaurant Pron Prohm where has left our other colleagues unforgettable impression and won their no problem recommendation. Today, it is Trisha’s last day to work with together, which is supposed the best time to have our special lunch.

 

It is the first time for us to go to this restaurant, but we absolutely love this place when walking into the room and we are amazed with wide eyes open to appreciate the pictures hung up on the walls. The restaurant displays us old time style decoration, dominant tone is kind of nostalgic in my mind and all of wooden tables obviously lead you into a Thai world. Plus those pleasant lights and elegant ornamentation can’t get you out of the mood.

 

Looking at the menu after allocated at the table, it is not hard to find great options for vegetarians and those familiar Thai entree and main course that are easy to be found in the most Thai restaurants. After a short time discussion, we order Green curry rice, Kao Thai, and Pron Prohm special Chicken, all are typical Thai. WOOW! We get shocked when we see the plates served on, the size of a plate is so big enough to stretch out two stomachs. Okay, let us start it. WOW! The taste is incredibly excellent. Immediately we give the food 10 score at once. We believe we will not get sick of it. Not to disappoint the chef and our money, we try our best to empty the plates but finally I failed, the good thing is that Janet and Trisha finish their dishes.  

 

Another important thing I must mention is its reasonable price. Compared with some of Thai restaurants I have gone, I would say this one is apparently medium level on point of price but with satisfied food.

 

We don’t forget to take some pictures as memory. The affecting thing is the waiter particularly allows us to enter another room to have bigger space to shoot photos for us. We are impressed again!

 

The meals are beautiful, the value is fantastic, and the staff is delightful. Hi, restaurant, thank you for providing us an awesome farewell lunch. Well, I feel I am doing advertisement for this restaurant, should they pay for me? :-)

Our group of frenetic bushwalkers got a kick out of having 7.5KM walking yesterday, which was the third time of our organisation activity as our enthusiasm about bushwalking can’t stop boosting. Generally all of team members would come after if one of us has a beam of desire to walk, so basically our group has established a routine to have a walking every two-three week, we already have had tacit agreement to make that time. This time, under Steven’s suggestion, we went to Manly Vale where has Garigal National Park with a good circle of walking route around a lake, so it was supposed to be a nice place to enjoy walking. Of course, it didn’t disappoint us at all when we got involved in the scenic walkway. I love nature, he loves nature, she loves nature, all of us love nature. We really appreciated Australia provides us well-protected natural scenery with leafy mountain, crystal blue lake, constructed wooden walkway, it definitely gives us a chance to approach nature and enjoy our walking. We didn’t miss shooting some photos to keep memory for such beautiful view, I believe you will like there right now if you take a look the pictures posted although I shot using my simple mobile. On the way, there were some mountain bikers overpassed us, I could see how enjoyable they are and how adorable it is biking through the mountain road. See, not only we like here, so do other mountain activity lovers. Actually we planned to spend three hours to complete our journey, but we finished by only two hours. Maybe our ability of walking is becoming increased, or our physical strength is stronger and stronger, or we underestimate our real level, whatever. Does it mean we need to choose more challengeable route next time? :-)

 

After walking, we had a pause at in Bather’s Pavilon restaurant in Balmoral Beach to have a cuppa. I was not that excited as I sat in the waterfront restaurant because it was not the first time to come here, but I still couldn’t get my eyes out of ambient around it amazed me so much. One hour later, we drove to an authentic Japanese restaurant located in Mosman as lovely Steven arranged. This Japanese restaurant named Go-Zen as allegedly by Steven it is well known in local, so we extremely wanted to prove it. In our order, Spinach with sweetened sesame, Salmon and tuna Sashimi, roasted chick, special beaf, are shown up, I wanna tell you there is no one would defeat your expectation, everything is perfect, I reckon. I will recommend my hubby to try it as he flatters himself as a Japanese food judge.

 

Well, we honour the commitment to have next plan in the early of Nov after I come back from China.